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Metro Green Line (Minnesota)

The Metro Green Line (formerly called the Central Corridor) is an 11-mile (18 km)[4][5] light rail line that connects the central business districts of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota as well as the University of Minnesota. An extension is under construction that will extend the line to the southwest connecting St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. The line follows the path of former Metro Transit bus route 16 along University Avenue and Washington Avenue (which runs from downtown Minneapolis through the University of Minnesota main campus). It is the second light-rail line in the region, after the Blue Line, which opened in 2004 and connects Minneapolis with the southern suburb of Bloomington.

Metro Green Line
A westbound train at Stadium Village station in 2015
Overview
StatusOperational (Phase One)
and under construction (Phase Two)
LocaleMinneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Termini
Stations23 (18 stations on the corridor to St. Paul & 5 shared with the Blue Line)
(16 more planned on the Green Line Extension)
Service
TypeLight rail
SystemMetro Light Rail
Route number902 (whole line)
992 (night bus and replacement bus)
Operator(s)Metro Transit
Rolling stockSiemens S70 and S700[1]
Daily ridership44,004 (avg. weekday, 2019)[2]
History
OpenedJune 14, 2014[3]
Technical
Line length11 mi (18 km) (operational)[4]
26.8 mi (43.1 km) (planned)[citation needed]
CharacterAt-grade
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line750 V DC
Route diagram

Southwest Station
Eden Prairie Town Center
Golden Triangle
City West
MN 62
Opus
Shady Oak Road
Downtown Hopkins
Blake Road
Louisiana Avenue
Wooddale Avenue
Beltline Boulevard
West Lake Street
Kenilworth Channel
21st Street
Bryn Mawr
Bassett Creek Valley
Royalston Avenue/Farmers Market
Target Field
to Northstar Line and proposed
Duluth and Red Rock lines
Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue
Nicollet Mall
Government Plaza
U.S. Bank Stadium
Downtown fare zone
West Bank
East Bank
Stadium Village
Prospect Park
Westgate
Raymond Avenue
Fairview Avenue
Snelling Avenue
Hamline Avenue
Lexington Parkway
Victoria Street
Dale Street
Western Avenue
Downtown fare zone
Capitol/Rice Street
Robert Street
10th Street
Central
Saint Paul Union Depot

All stations are accessible

Construction on the Green Line began in late 2010.[6] It opened to the public on June 14, 2014.[7] The travel time between the downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul stops is about 46 minutes.[5] The entire line originally operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but as of 2019 trains are replaced by buses from 2 am to 4 am on weekdays.[8] In 2018, the line carried a total of 13.8 million passengers.[2]

History edit

Former streetcar and bus lines edit

The route is a descendant of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company's St. Paul–Minneapolis streetcar line, also referred to as the Interurban line. Streetcars became practical along the route with the advent of electrification, and full service began along the route on December 9, 1890.[9] In the 1950s, a decision was made to convert the streetcar system to buses. Streetcar service along the Interurban line ended in Saint Paul on October 31, 1953, and the route was the last to carry passengers in the city. Service continued a short while longer in Minneapolis, until November 28.[10] However, due to fragmentary service elsewhere in Minneapolis, streetcars continued to use the tracks along University Avenue to reach the shops at Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul until June 1954.[citation needed]

The route 16 bus was developed to replace the streetcar, and followed the route of the modern-day Green Line.[11] Other parallel service included freeway express service on route 94 and limited-stop service to the University of Minnesota on route 50.[12] Twin City Lines continued to privately operate buses until 1970, when the company was taken over by the Metropolitan Transit Commission, a precursor to Metro Transit.[citation needed]

Proposals edit

In 1972, the Regional Fixed Guideway Study for the Metropolitan Transit Commission (the forerunner of today's Metro Transit) proposed a $1.3 billion 37- or 57-mile (sources differ) heavy-rail rapid transit system, but the then-separate Metropolitan Council disagreed with that idea – refusing to even look at the plan – and continuing political battles meant that it was never implemented. The Met Council had its own plans for bus rapid transit in the metropolitan region. Another system using smaller people movers was proposed in the 1975 Small Vehicle Fixed Guideway Study and gained the most traction with the Saint Paul city council, but was eventually dropped in 1980.

In the 1980s, light rail was proposed as an alternative and several possible corridors were identified, including the Central Corridor line which had a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) drawn up in 1982.[13][14][15] It took another two decades before the Blue Line light rail line began operation. It began service on June 26, 2004, just over 50 years since the last regular-service streetcar ran on June 19, 1954.

Central Corridor Coordinating Committee edit

The Central Corridor Coordinating Committee was a workgroup in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area set up to explore transit options for the Central Corridor, the interurban corridor roughly following University Avenue in the Twin Cities area. After a long period of examination, this committee narrowed transit options for the corridor from a broad universe of choices to just three: a no-build option where services are only incrementally improved, a bus rapid transit (BRT) option, wherein buses run on semi-dedicated transitway, and a light rail transit (LRT) option using light rail vehicles (LRVs). In May 2006 the CCCC concluded its study by publishing a Draft Environmental Impact Study, which concluded that LRT was the best option for the corridor. After a period of public meetings and public comment, the CCCC recommended on June 6, 2006, that the Metropolitan Council select LRT as the locally preferred alternative for the corridor and apply for preliminary engineering to begin.[16] On June 28, 2006, the Metropolitan Council concurred with the CCCC's decision and officially selected LRT as the locally preferred alternative.[17][18]

Metropolitan Council manages all transit, waterway, and other public resources for the seven-county area surrounding the Twin Cities, and as such, the Central Corridor project will now transition to Metropolitan Council. The work of the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee is now complete.

Funding edit

A 2003 study commissioned by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee placed the cost at US$840 million. Cost estimates placed the cost of the light rail line in 2003, at about US$957 million, with the increase primarily due to inflation over the following decade.[19] On June 6, 2006, the light rail option was endorsed by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee.[20] The Metropolitan Council gave final approval to this decision on June 28, 2006.[21]

The existing Blue Line has exceeded ridership predictions, as is the case with many other light rail lines constructed in the U.S. during the last decade.[22] This led to some delays for the Central Corridor project because local transit officials were forced to retool ridership models before submitting projections to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Metropolitan Council, which operates Metro Transit, submitted numbers showing that a light rail line would carry 43,000 passengers daily by the year 2030. The FTA agreed that the line would be cost-effective at this level, a key requirement for obtaining federal funding.[23]

In April 2008, Governor Tim Pawlenty initially vetoed $70 million in funding for the Central Corridor project, along with other items, from the state budget. The funding was part of a state-local package of $227 million necessary to get federal transportation funds, and the future of the project was in doubt[24] until May 18, 2008, when a revised bonding bill including the $70 million for the Central Corridor was passed in the Legislature and signed into law by the governor.[25] In August 2009 the Central Corridor project received a Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration. The FTA found the project to have fully and accurately completed its environmental documentation with the publication of the Final Environmental Impact statement earlier in the summer, thus clearing the project for final design.[26]

Construction edit

 
Green Line under construction

The first construction began in late 2010, including work in downtown St. Paul and near the University of Minnesota campus.[6] By November 2011, construction was about 32% complete, including most heavy construction such as the installation of track segments, a new bridge, partial completion of stations, a rebuilt skyway in St. Paul and the construction of Green Line facilities at St. Paul Union Station.[27]

Due to scope of project, a venture was created by C.S. McCrossan and Ames to complete an area known as The Civil West Project. This area extended from the west side of the 35W abutment, over the Mississippi River, through the UofM campus and ending at Bedford St. From Bedford to Saint Paul, Walsh Construction served as the general contractor.

In July 2011, the Metropolitan Council officially named the Central Corridor as the Green Line.[28] As of August 2013, construction was completed and test trains began running over the line which opened to the public on June 14, 2014.[7]

An interesting component of the Green Line project was the complexities in design layout. Land surveyors worked directly with over twelve subcontractors to complete the work. A particular area required exclusive attention and support, that being outside the University of Minnesota's biology department. Between Pleasant and Harvard streets there was 1/8" of tolerance between design and as-builds. Control factors used in the biology labs would be impacted by the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nearby light rail. The 1/8" tolerance is said to cancel out any EMR that the light rail may produce.

Additional stations edit

 
Central Station of the Green Line in downtown Saint Paul

Some in favor of the line have expressed concern with the number of stations.[29] The neighborhoods along University have demanded that the line have stations every half-mile, from Snelling to Rice Street, which would mean stations at Hamline Avenue, Victoria Street and Western Avenue. In February 2008, the Central Corridor Management Committee passed a resolution to include below-ground infrastructure for the Hamline, Victoria and Western stations "with the understanding that, if the CEI increases or other dollars are made available by mid-summer 2008, the first claim on those dollars would be one of the infill stations."[30] The Metropolitan Council has included this infrastructure work in their Draft Environmental Impact Statement and has also committed to building one station if any funds become available.

As of 2009, the Federal Transit Administration has increased the Cost Effectiveness Index such that buildout of one station is now feasible.[31] On January 25, 2010, the FTA announced that the three "infill" stations will be built. Upon opening, all five stations between Snelling and Rice Street were built - Hamline Ave, Lexington Pkwy, Victoria St, Dale St, and Western Ave.[32]

Route edit

 
Metro Green Line interactive map

Opposition edit

Many businesses along the line were opposed to its development because of reduced access for automobiles.[29][33][34] Under the final plans, 87% of on-street parking disappeared along University Avenue between Raymond Avenue and Rice Street. At least one restaurant has cited light rail construction as a reason for closing.[35]

The corridor contains working-class residents and immigrant populations from Laos and Vietnam. Although the Green Line construction is mostly on an existing roadway and no land will be condemned, the disruption to existing transit and pedestrian ways was a concern to some groups. There is also concern that stops for light rail will be placed too far apart and along with reductions in bus service, transportation options for people will be reduced. Others are concerned about gentrification, where rising property values and taxes could force out lower-income residents.[36]

Others have opposed using Washington Avenue for a pedestrian transit mall and have opposed using the Washington Avenue bridge, citing traffic concerns, along with the age of the bridge, when other bridges upriver could be used to cross the Mississippi River: the 10th Avenue Bridge, the new I-35W bridge or the Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9. This last option was preferred by the University of Minnesota, which feared traffic disruption and vibration at some of their research facilities from use of the Washington Avenue route.[37] In late summer 2008, preliminary engineering reports showed that mitigation work could negate the effects of vibrations on university laboratory equipment. The University of Minnesota renewed its objections over vibration concerns along Washington Avenue in late 2009. Negotiations between the Metropolitan Council and the university continued into early 2010. A compromise was reached between the university and the Metropolitan Council and the Washington Avenue bridge was selected for use. As of Summer 2011, work had begun on the Washington Avenue bridge.

In January 2009, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) raised concerns over the effects of the light-rail trains on their recording studios on Cedar Street in downtown St. Paul. MPR presented the results of an engineering study which they sponsored that conflicted with that performed by the Metropolitan Council. A settlement between MPR and other involved parties will keep the light rail trains on Cedar Street and will also compensate MPR for the addition of sound-proof upgrades to their studios.

Extension edit

The line is to be extended to Southwest Station in Eden Prairie along the Southwest LRT. The extension will add 16 additional stations and 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of trackage to the line, extending through St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka. The estimated one-way travel time from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie to Target Field Station in Minneapolis is 32 minutes.[38] Due to neighborhood opposition from the Kenwood neighborhood and additional studies on the environmental effects of the Southwest Corridor, the opening has been delayed to 2023. Further delays have pushed back the planned opening to 2027.

Transit links edit

The Northstar Line commuter rail line connects downtown Minneapolis with northwestern suburbs, with a station at the north/western terminus of the Blue and Green Lines. The two light rail lines share trackage through downtown.

The eastern terminus of the Green Line is a street level station in front of the Saint Paul Union Depot, considered one of the great architectural achievements in the city and formerly one of the main points of departure for area train riders up until passenger rail service in the United States was restructured in the 1960s and 1970s. The concourse of the Union Depot is planned to become a transfer point for people coming into St. Paul along the proposed Rush Line and Gold Line bus rapid transit lines. As of June 2014, Union Depot is a transit center for Metro Transit, MVTA, Jefferson Lines, Megabus, Greyhound buses and Amtrak's Empire Builder.

Bus service edit

 
Snelling Avenue Green Line station

Metro Transit Route 16 parallels the Green Line between St. Paul and Fairview Ave Station. Route 50 formerly operated alongside Route 16 during weekdays, but with stops generally spaced about one-half mile apart. It was discontinued when the Green Line entered service. After the Green Line opened, Route 16 service was cut back from 1 AM to 5 AM, frequency was reduced to every 20 minutes and the route was truncated at the University of Minnesota.[39] In 2010, route 16 had an operating budget of $10 million and generated $3.7 million in revenue (a farebox recovery ratio of 37%), while Route 50 had a 2010 budget of $3.5 million and generated $1.3 million in revenue (37% farebox recovery ratio).[40] Route 16 carried about 5 million passengers, with weekday ridership averaging 16,880 and Saturday and Sunday ridership averaging 12,082 and 7,110, respectively. Route 50 carried about 1.5 million riders over the course of the year, with weekday ridership averaging 6,886.[40]

Metro Transit also provides weekday express bus service along Interstate 94 between the St. Paul and Minneapolis downtown areas.[41]

Vehicles edit

Siemens Industry Incorporated built 47 S70 Light Rail Vehicles for the Green Line,[42] at a per-LRV cost of $3,297,714 and a total contract value of $154,992,558.[43] The LRVs were built in Florin, California, and the first vehicle was delivered on October 10, 2012.[44][45]

Safety and health impacts edit

During testing of the Green line before it opened, there were four accidents recorded.[46] One accident was at Portland Avenue and 5th Street in Downtown Minneapolis. This intersection was already in use by Blue Line and is now being shared by the Blue and Green Lines. The first death occurred in August 2014,[47] when Shana Buchanan, former attorney, was struck by a train as she attempted to cross the tracks at Westgate Station.[48] On April 30, 2015, the Minnesota Senate's office of counsel and research receptionist Lynne Thomas was the second pedestrian killed by a Green Line train since it began operating.[49] On December 10, 2015, a third pedestrian, Nurto Abdi Aden, was struck and killed as she crossed the Green Line tracks near Hamline Avenue Station.[50] On July 15, 2017, a fourth person, Nicholas Westlake, 29 had his car struck by a train and later died near University and Highway 280. Nic's girlfriend and ballroom dance partner Neli Petkova was in the passenger seat at the time of the collision and was subsequently treated for injuries and released from the hospital.[51] In response to the Westlake crash, in which the train operator illegally ran a red light, Minnesota legislators changed a law that had previously prevented light-rail train operators from being charged in fatal collisions.[52] A fifth fatality, a female pedestrian, was struck and killed on January 28, 2018, near the intersection of university and Pascal Avenues in St. Paul.[53] A sixth fatality, a male runner, was struck and killed on October 8, 2018, around 4:30 p.m., near Hamline Avenue; he died at the hospital.[54] A seventh person, a male pedestrian at the Stadium Village station near the University of Minnesota, was run over and killed by a departing train early on April 20, 2019, after he fell between two of its cars.[55] On August 30, 2019, the eighth fatality occurred, a female pedestrian, was struck just after 3 p.m. at the Dale Street Station. She was walking north in a crosswalk on University Ave. when she was struck by a westbound train.[56] An eastbound train struck a car near the Rice Street station in the afternoon of July 4, 2021, marking the line's ninth fatality. Another occupant of the car was hospitalized in critical condition, and the train's operator was taken for medical evaluation.[57] Around 10:30 a.m. on June 8, 2022, a bicyclist was stuck and killed by a light rail train at the Raymond Avenue Station, the tenth fatality since the line opened.[58]

The Minnesota Metro Green Line had a causal impact of improving people's access to health care by providing reliable public transportation. Researchers from the University of Minnesota, Harvard Medical School, and the Urban Institute conducted a Difference in differences study and found that the opening of the light rail line had a causal impact on reducing the rate of missed doctors appointments.[59]

References edit

  1. ^ "Worldwide Review [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. No. 994. UK: Mainspring Enterprises Ltd. October 2020. p. 402. ISSN 1460-8324.
  2. ^ a b "Light rail, Bus Rapid Transit lines set annual ridership records" (Press release). Metro Transit. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Green Line Homepage" (Press release). Metropolitan Council. June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Central Corridor - Route". Metropolitan Council. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  5. ^ a b . Metropolitan Council. 2014. Archived from the original on June 12, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  6. ^ a b . Metropolitan Council. 2010. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Nelson, Tim (January 22, 2014). "Green Line light rail service to start June 14". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  8. ^ . Metro Transit. May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  9. ^ Russell L. Olson (1976). The Electric Railways of Minnesota. Hopkins, Minnesota: Minnesota Transportation Museum, Inc. p. 37.
  10. ^ Olson. p. 65.
  11. ^ . Metro Transit. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  12. ^ Platt, Adam (May 15, 2014). "Will Metro Transit's Green Line really replace 500 bus trips?". MinnPost. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  13. ^ (PDF). Metropolitan Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  14. ^ Jeff Severns Guntzel (May 19, 2008). . City Pages. Archived from the original on February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  15. ^ "ALL ABOARD: For the Transit Study that Never Ends". City Pages. September 5, 1984.
  16. ^ Blake, Laurie (June 6, 2006). . Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2006.
  17. ^ . Metropolitan Council. June 28, 2006. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  18. ^ "Welcome to the Central Corridor". Central Corridor Coordinating Committee. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
  19. ^ . Metropolitan Council. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  20. ^ Blake, Laurie (June 6, 2006). . Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2006.
  21. ^ . Metropolitan Council. June 28, 2006. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  22. ^ (PDF). Metropolitan Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  23. ^ Salisbury, Bill (March 22, 2006). "Central Corridor light rail wins key OK". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved April 5, 2006.
  24. ^ Salisbury, Bill; Dave Orrick (April 9, 2008). "Central Corridor dead – or alive?". St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  25. ^ Scheck, Tom (May 18, 2008). "Deal reached at Capitol with little time to spare". Minnesota Public Radio.
  26. ^ . Metropolitan Council. August 19, 2009. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  27. ^ . Progressive Railroading. November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  28. ^ . Metropolitan Council. July 2011. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  29. ^ a b Foti, Jim (February 25, 2008). . Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  30. ^ (PDF). Central Corridor Management Committee. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  31. ^ . Federal Transit Administration. 2009. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  32. ^ "METRO Green Line - Metro Transit". Metro Transit. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  33. ^ Havens, Chris (July 29, 2008). "Giving up parking spots on University, but for what?". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  34. ^ Yuen, Laura (August 11, 2008). "University Avenue business owners step up opposition to LRT". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  35. ^ Slavik, Rachel (March 31, 2011). "Porky's in St. Paul To Close Doors Sunday". CBS Minnesota. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  36. ^ Yuen, Laura (April 9, 2006). "Rondo haunting light-rail debate". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved April 9, 2006.
  37. ^ Foti, Jim (May 28, 2008). . Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  38. ^ "Travel Demand Methodology & Forecast". Metropolitan Council. February 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  39. ^ "Local Bus Route 16 schedule" (PDF). Metro Transit. Retrieved March 23, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  40. ^ a b "Central Corridor Transit Service Study Existing Conditions Report" (PDF). Metro Transit. 2012. p. 52. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  41. ^ "Metro Transit - Online Schedules - Route 94". www.metrotransit.org. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  42. ^ . Metro Transit. February 20, 2013. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  43. ^ "Transportation Committee Business Item 2010-275" (PDF). Metropolitan Council. July 30, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  44. ^ Kevin Giles (August 25, 2010). . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  45. ^ "First Central Corridor light rail vehicle, rebranded Hiawatha LRV meet the press" (PDF). Metro Council. October 10, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  46. ^ Blume, Paul - New Green Line endures 4th crash before opening day June 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine KMSP Fox 9, June 9, 2014
  47. ^ Nelson, Tim (September 2, 2014). "Authorities ID woman killed by Green Line train". www.mprnews.org. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  48. ^ Lindberg, Joseph and Emily Gurnon -Woman killed by Green Line train was a former attorney. Pioneer Press, September 3, 2014
  49. ^ Woltman, Nick (April 30, 2015). "Pedestrian killed in Green Line accident was 'very safety conscious'". TwinCities.com. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  50. ^ Collins, Jon (December 11, 2015). "Blue Line train hits, kills bicyclist in Minneapolis". www.mprnews.org. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  51. ^ "Dancer killed in light rail crash, train operator on leave". www.kare11.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  52. ^ "New Minnesota law closes prosecution loophole in LRT crashes". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  53. ^ "Pedestrian killed in Green Line crash Sunday afternoon". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  54. ^ "Metro Transit: Man Dies After Being Struck by Green Line Train". KSTP. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  55. ^ "Man killed by light rail train in Minneapolis". KSTP. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  56. ^ "Woman hit and killed by Green Line train in St. Paul". Bring Me The News. August 31, 2019.
  57. ^ "One killed, one critically hurt when Green Line train hits vehicle". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  58. ^ "Bicyclist dies after being struck by Green Line train". kare11.com. June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  59. ^ Scott, Dylan (November 18, 2021). "Improving public transit makes it easier for people to stay healthy". Vox. Retrieved December 22, 2021.

External links edit

KML is from Wikidata
  • Official Metro Transit site
  • Metro Council Central Corridor Site
  • Businesses on the Green Line

metro, green, line, minnesota, this, article, about, line, minneapolis, paul, other, green, lines, green, line, disambiguation, metro, green, line, formerly, called, central, corridor, mile, light, rail, line, that, connects, central, business, districts, minn. This article is about the line in Minneapolis St Paul For other Green Lines see Green Line disambiguation The Metro Green Line formerly called the Central Corridor is an 11 mile 18 km 4 5 light rail line that connects the central business districts of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota as well as the University of Minnesota An extension is under construction that will extend the line to the southwest connecting St Louis Park Hopkins Minnetonka and Eden Prairie The line follows the path of former Metro Transit bus route 16 along University Avenue and Washington Avenue which runs from downtown Minneapolis through the University of Minnesota main campus It is the second light rail line in the region after the Blue Line which opened in 2004 and connects Minneapolis with the southern suburb of Bloomington Metro Green LineA westbound train at Stadium Village station in 2015OverviewStatusOperational Phase One and under construction Phase Two LocaleMinneapolis Saint Paul Minnesota U S TerminiTarget Field West Saint Paul Union Depot East Stations23 18 stations on the corridor to St Paul amp 5 shared with the Blue Line 16 more planned on the Green Line Extension ServiceTypeLight railSystemMetro Light RailRoute number902 whole line 992 night bus and replacement bus Operator s Metro TransitRolling stockSiemens S70 and S700 1 Daily ridership44 004 avg weekday 2019 2 HistoryOpenedJune 14 2014 3 TechnicalLine length11 mi 18 km operational 4 26 8 mi 43 1 km planned citation needed CharacterAt gradeTrack gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeElectrificationOverhead line 750 V DCRoute diagramLegendSouthwest extension 2027 Southwest StationEden Prairie Town CenterI 494 MN 5Nine Mile CreekGolden TriangleUS 212City WestMN 62OpusShady Oak RoadDowntown HopkinsUS 169Blake RoadMinnehaha CreekLouisiana AvenueWooddale AvenueMN 100Beltline BoulevardWest Lake StreetKenilworth Channel21st StreetBryn MawrI 394Bassett Creek ValleyI 94Royalston Avenue Farmers MarketBlue Line Bottineau Transitway Target Field to Northstar Line and proposedDuluth and Red Rock linesI 394Warehouse District Hennepin AvenueNicollet MallGovernment PlazaU S Bank StadiumDowntown fare zoneBlue LineI 35WWest BankWashington Avenue Bridgeover the Mississippi RiverEast BankStadium VillageProspect ParkMinneapolisSt Paul borderWestgateMN 280Raymond AvenueFairview AvenueSnelling AvenueHamline AvenueLexington ParkwayVictoria StreetDale StreetWestern AvenueDowntown fare zoneCapitol Rice StreetRobert StreetI 35E I 9410th StreetCentralSaint Paul Union DepotAmtrak Empire Builder amp proposed Red Rock CorridorAll stations are accessibleThis diagram viewtalkeditConstruction on the Green Line began in late 2010 6 It opened to the public on June 14 2014 7 The travel time between the downtown Minneapolis and downtown St Paul stops is about 46 minutes 5 The entire line originally operated 24 hours a day seven days a week but as of 2019 trains are replaced by buses from 2 am to 4 am on weekdays 8 In 2018 the line carried a total of 13 8 million passengers 2 Contents 1 History 1 1 Former streetcar and bus lines 1 2 Proposals 1 3 Central Corridor Coordinating Committee 1 4 Funding 1 5 Construction 1 6 Additional stations 2 Route 3 Opposition 4 Extension 5 Transit links 6 Bus service 7 Vehicles 8 Safety and health impacts 9 References 10 External linksHistory editFormer streetcar and bus lines edit The route is a descendant of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company s St Paul Minneapolis streetcar line also referred to as the Interurban line Streetcars became practical along the route with the advent of electrification and full service began along the route on December 9 1890 9 In the 1950s a decision was made to convert the streetcar system to buses Streetcar service along the Interurban line ended in Saint Paul on October 31 1953 and the route was the last to carry passengers in the city Service continued a short while longer in Minneapolis until November 28 10 However due to fragmentary service elsewhere in Minneapolis streetcars continued to use the tracks along University Avenue to reach the shops at Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul until June 1954 citation needed The route 16 bus was developed to replace the streetcar and followed the route of the modern day Green Line 11 Other parallel service included freeway express service on route 94 and limited stop service to the University of Minnesota on route 50 12 Twin City Lines continued to privately operate buses until 1970 when the company was taken over by the Metropolitan Transit Commission a precursor to Metro Transit citation needed Proposals edit In 1972 the Regional Fixed Guideway Study for the Metropolitan Transit Commission the forerunner of today s Metro Transit proposed a 1 3 billion 37 or 57 mile sources differ heavy rail rapid transit system but the then separate Metropolitan Council disagreed with that idea refusing to even look at the plan and continuing political battles meant that it was never implemented The Met Council had its own plans for bus rapid transit in the metropolitan region Another system using smaller people movers was proposed in the 1975 Small Vehicle Fixed Guideway Study and gained the most traction with the Saint Paul city council but was eventually dropped in 1980 In the 1980s light rail was proposed as an alternative and several possible corridors were identified including the Central Corridor line which had a Draft Environmental Impact Statement DEIS drawn up in 1982 13 14 15 It took another two decades before the Blue Line light rail line began operation It began service on June 26 2004 just over 50 years since the last regular service streetcar ran on June 19 1954 Central Corridor Coordinating Committee edit The Central Corridor Coordinating Committee was a workgroup in the Minneapolis St Paul area set up to explore transit options for the Central Corridor the interurban corridor roughly following University Avenue in the Twin Cities area After a long period of examination this committee narrowed transit options for the corridor from a broad universe of choices to just three a no build option where services are only incrementally improved a bus rapid transit BRT option wherein buses run on semi dedicated transitway and a light rail transit LRT option using light rail vehicles LRVs In May 2006 the CCCC concluded its study by publishing a Draft Environmental Impact Study which concluded that LRT was the best option for the corridor After a period of public meetings and public comment the CCCC recommended on June 6 2006 that the Metropolitan Council select LRT as the locally preferred alternative for the corridor and apply for preliminary engineering to begin 16 On June 28 2006 the Metropolitan Council concurred with the CCCC s decision and officially selected LRT as the locally preferred alternative 17 18 Metropolitan Council manages all transit waterway and other public resources for the seven county area surrounding the Twin Cities and as such the Central Corridor project will now transition to Metropolitan Council The work of the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee is now complete Funding edit A 2003 study commissioned by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee placed the cost at US 840 million Cost estimates placed the cost of the light rail line in 2003 at about US 957 million with the increase primarily due to inflation over the following decade 19 On June 6 2006 the light rail option was endorsed by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee 20 The Metropolitan Council gave final approval to this decision on June 28 2006 21 The existing Blue Line has exceeded ridership predictions as is the case with many other light rail lines constructed in the U S during the last decade 22 This led to some delays for the Central Corridor project because local transit officials were forced to retool ridership models before submitting projections to the Federal Transit Administration FTA The Metropolitan Council which operates Metro Transit submitted numbers showing that a light rail line would carry 43 000 passengers daily by the year 2030 The FTA agreed that the line would be cost effective at this level a key requirement for obtaining federal funding 23 In April 2008 Governor Tim Pawlenty initially vetoed 70 million in funding for the Central Corridor project along with other items from the state budget The funding was part of a state local package of 227 million necessary to get federal transportation funds and the future of the project was in doubt 24 until May 18 2008 when a revised bonding bill including the 70 million for the Central Corridor was passed in the Legislature and signed into law by the governor 25 In August 2009 the Central Corridor project received a Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration The FTA found the project to have fully and accurately completed its environmental documentation with the publication of the Final Environmental Impact statement earlier in the summer thus clearing the project for final design 26 Construction edit nbsp Green Line under constructionThe first construction began in late 2010 including work in downtown St Paul and near the University of Minnesota campus 6 By November 2011 construction was about 32 complete including most heavy construction such as the installation of track segments a new bridge partial completion of stations a rebuilt skyway in St Paul and the construction of Green Line facilities at St Paul Union Station 27 Due to scope of project a venture was created by C S McCrossan and Ames to complete an area known as The Civil West Project This area extended from the west side of the 35W abutment over the Mississippi River through the UofM campus and ending at Bedford St From Bedford to Saint Paul Walsh Construction served as the general contractor In July 2011 the Metropolitan Council officially named the Central Corridor as the Green Line 28 As of August 2013 construction was completed and test trains began running over the line which opened to the public on June 14 2014 7 An interesting component of the Green Line project was the complexities in design layout Land surveyors worked directly with over twelve subcontractors to complete the work A particular area required exclusive attention and support that being outside the University of Minnesota s biology department Between Pleasant and Harvard streets there was 1 8 of tolerance between design and as builds Control factors used in the biology labs would be impacted by the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nearby light rail The 1 8 tolerance is said to cancel out any EMR that the light rail may produce Additional stations edit nbsp Central Station of the Green Line in downtown Saint PaulSome in favor of the line have expressed concern with the number of stations 29 The neighborhoods along University have demanded that the line have stations every half mile from Snelling to Rice Street which would mean stations at Hamline Avenue Victoria Street and Western Avenue In February 2008 the Central Corridor Management Committee passed a resolution to include below ground infrastructure for the Hamline Victoria and Western stations with the understanding that if the CEI increases or other dollars are made available by mid summer 2008 the first claim on those dollars would be one of the infill stations 30 The Metropolitan Council has included this infrastructure work in their Draft Environmental Impact Statement and has also committed to building one station if any funds become available As of 2009 the Federal Transit Administration has increased the Cost Effectiveness Index such that buildout of one station is now feasible 31 On January 25 2010 the FTA announced that the three infill stations will be built Upon opening all five stations between Snelling and Rice Street were built Hamline Ave Lexington Pkwy Victoria St Dale St and Western Ave 32 Route edit nbsp Metro Green Line interactive mapOpposition editMany businesses along the line were opposed to its development because of reduced access for automobiles 29 33 34 Under the final plans 87 of on street parking disappeared along University Avenue between Raymond Avenue and Rice Street At least one restaurant has cited light rail construction as a reason for closing 35 The corridor contains working class residents and immigrant populations from Laos and Vietnam Although the Green Line construction is mostly on an existing roadway and no land will be condemned the disruption to existing transit and pedestrian ways was a concern to some groups There is also concern that stops for light rail will be placed too far apart and along with reductions in bus service transportation options for people will be reduced Others are concerned about gentrification where rising property values and taxes could force out lower income residents 36 Others have opposed using Washington Avenue for a pedestrian transit mall and have opposed using the Washington Avenue bridge citing traffic concerns along with the age of the bridge when other bridges upriver could be used to cross the Mississippi River the 10th Avenue Bridge the new I 35W bridge or the Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9 This last option was preferred by the University of Minnesota which feared traffic disruption and vibration at some of their research facilities from use of the Washington Avenue route 37 In late summer 2008 preliminary engineering reports showed that mitigation work could negate the effects of vibrations on university laboratory equipment The University of Minnesota renewed its objections over vibration concerns along Washington Avenue in late 2009 Negotiations between the Metropolitan Council and the university continued into early 2010 A compromise was reached between the university and the Metropolitan Council and the Washington Avenue bridge was selected for use As of Summer 2011 work had begun on the Washington Avenue bridge In January 2009 Minnesota Public Radio MPR raised concerns over the effects of the light rail trains on their recording studios on Cedar Street in downtown St Paul MPR presented the results of an engineering study which they sponsored that conflicted with that performed by the Metropolitan Council A settlement between MPR and other involved parties will keep the light rail trains on Cedar Street and will also compensate MPR for the addition of sound proof upgrades to their studios Extension editMain article Southwest LRT The line is to be extended to Southwest Station in Eden Prairie along the Southwest LRT The extension will add 16 additional stations and 14 5 miles 23 3 km of trackage to the line extending through St Louis Park Hopkins and Minnetonka The estimated one way travel time from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie to Target Field Station in Minneapolis is 32 minutes 38 Due to neighborhood opposition from the Kenwood neighborhood and additional studies on the environmental effects of the Southwest Corridor the opening has been delayed to 2023 Further delays have pushed back the planned opening to 2027 Transit links editThe Northstar Line commuter rail line connects downtown Minneapolis with northwestern suburbs with a station at the north western terminus of the Blue and Green Lines The two light rail lines share trackage through downtown The eastern terminus of the Green Line is a street level station in front of the Saint Paul Union Depot considered one of the great architectural achievements in the city and formerly one of the main points of departure for area train riders up until passenger rail service in the United States was restructured in the 1960s and 1970s The concourse of the Union Depot is planned to become a transfer point for people coming into St Paul along the proposed Rush Line and Gold Line bus rapid transit lines As of June 2014 Union Depot is a transit center for Metro Transit MVTA Jefferson Lines Megabus Greyhound buses and Amtrak s Empire Builder Bus service edit nbsp Snelling Avenue Green Line stationMetro Transit Route 16 parallels the Green Line between St Paul and Fairview Ave Station Route 50 formerly operated alongside Route 16 during weekdays but with stops generally spaced about one half mile apart It was discontinued when the Green Line entered service After the Green Line opened Route 16 service was cut back from 1 AM to 5 AM frequency was reduced to every 20 minutes and the route was truncated at the University of Minnesota 39 In 2010 route 16 had an operating budget of 10 million and generated 3 7 million in revenue a farebox recovery ratio of 37 while Route 50 had a 2010 budget of 3 5 million and generated 1 3 million in revenue 37 farebox recovery ratio 40 Route 16 carried about 5 million passengers with weekday ridership averaging 16 880 and Saturday and Sunday ridership averaging 12 082 and 7 110 respectively Route 50 carried about 1 5 million riders over the course of the year with weekday ridership averaging 6 886 40 Metro Transit also provides weekday express bus service along Interstate 94 between the St Paul and Minneapolis downtown areas 41 Vehicles editMain article Metro Transit rolling stock Siemens Industry Incorporated built 47 S70 Light Rail Vehicles for the Green Line 42 at a per LRV cost of 3 297 714 and a total contract value of 154 992 558 43 The LRVs were built in Florin California and the first vehicle was delivered on October 10 2012 44 45 Safety and health impacts editDuring testing of the Green line before it opened there were four accidents recorded 46 One accident was at Portland Avenue and 5th Street in Downtown Minneapolis This intersection was already in use by Blue Line and is now being shared by the Blue and Green Lines The first death occurred in August 2014 47 when Shana Buchanan former attorney was struck by a train as she attempted to cross the tracks at Westgate Station 48 On April 30 2015 the Minnesota Senate s office of counsel and research receptionist Lynne Thomas was the second pedestrian killed by a Green Line train since it began operating 49 On December 10 2015 a third pedestrian Nurto Abdi Aden was struck and killed as she crossed the Green Line tracks near Hamline Avenue Station 50 On July 15 2017 a fourth person Nicholas Westlake 29 had his car struck by a train and later died near University and Highway 280 Nic s girlfriend and ballroom dance partner Neli Petkova was in the passenger seat at the time of the collision and was subsequently treated for injuries and released from the hospital 51 In response to the Westlake crash in which the train operator illegally ran a red light Minnesota legislators changed a law that had previously prevented light rail train operators from being charged in fatal collisions 52 A fifth fatality a female pedestrian was struck and killed on January 28 2018 near the intersection of university and Pascal Avenues in St Paul 53 A sixth fatality a male runner was struck and killed on October 8 2018 around 4 30 p m near Hamline Avenue he died at the hospital 54 A seventh person a male pedestrian at the Stadium Village station near the University of Minnesota was run over and killed by a departing train early on April 20 2019 after he fell between two of its cars 55 On August 30 2019 the eighth fatality occurred a female pedestrian was struck just after 3 p m at the Dale Street Station She was walking north in a crosswalk on University Ave when she was struck by a westbound train 56 An eastbound train struck a car near the Rice Street station in the afternoon of July 4 2021 marking the line s ninth fatality Another occupant of the car was hospitalized in critical condition and the train s operator was taken for medical evaluation 57 Around 10 30 a m on June 8 2022 a bicyclist was stuck and killed by a light rail train at the Raymond Avenue Station the tenth fatality since the line opened 58 The Minnesota Metro Green Line had a causal impact of improving people s access to health care by providing reliable public transportation Researchers from the University of Minnesota Harvard Medical School and the Urban Institute conducted a Difference in differences study and found that the opening of the light rail line had a causal impact on reducing the rate of missed doctors appointments 59 References edit Worldwide Review regular news section Tramways amp Urban Transit No 994 UK Mainspring Enterprises Ltd October 2020 p 402 ISSN 1460 8324 a b Light rail Bus Rapid Transit lines set annual ridership records Press release Metro Transit March 5 2020 Retrieved March 10 2020 Green Line Homepage Press release Metropolitan Council June 9 2014 Retrieved June 9 2014 a b Central Corridor Route Metropolitan Council Retrieved June 15 2014 a b Metro Green Line Fact Sheet Metropolitan Council 2014 Archived from the original on June 12 2014 Retrieved May 29 2014 a b Central Corridor Light Rail Transit LRT Metropolitan Council 2010 Archived from the original on May 15 2011 Retrieved December 30 2010 a b Nelson Tim January 22 2014 Green Line light rail service to start June 14 Minnesota Public Radio Retrieved January 22 2014 Green Line service changes protect investment shift focus to better housing options Metro Transit May 17 2019 Archived from the original on September 30 2019 Retrieved September 30 2019 Russell L Olson 1976 The Electric Railways of Minnesota Hopkins Minnesota Minnesota Transportation Museum Inc p 37 Olson p 65 Route 16 The original Minneapolis St Paul connection Metro Transit June 13 2013 Archived from the original on November 8 2016 Retrieved November 7 2016 Platt Adam May 15 2014 Will Metro Transit s Green Line really replace 500 bus trips MinnPost Retrieved November 7 2016 A bold experiment the Metropolitan Council at 40 PDF Metropolitan Council Archived from the original PDF on June 13 2010 Retrieved December 16 2009 Jeff Severns Guntzel May 19 2008 A train linking Minneapolis and St Paul We had that scoop in 1984 City Pages Archived from the original on February 17 2010 Retrieved February 17 2010 ALL ABOARD For the Transit Study that Never Ends City Pages September 5 1984 Blake Laurie June 6 2006 Trains not Buses on Central Corridor Minneapolis Star Tribune Archived from the original on January 2 2007 Retrieved June 7 2006 Metropolitan Council approves light rail along Central Corridor Metropolitan Council June 28 2006 Archived from the original on September 28 2007 Welcome to the Central Corridor Central Corridor Coordinating Committee Retrieved June 29 2006 Central Corridor LRT Frequently asked questions Metropolitan Council June 27 2008 Archived from the original on June 12 2011 Retrieved August 27 2008 Blake Laurie June 6 2006 Trains not Buses on Central Corridor Minneapolis Star Tribune Archived from the original on January 2 2007 Retrieved June 7 2006 Metropolitan Council approves light rail along Central Corridor Metropolitan Council June 28 2006 Archived from the original on September 28 2007 Retrieved August 27 2008 Hiawatha Light Rail Transit facts PDF Metropolitan Council Archived from the original PDF on April 11 2008 Retrieved April 9 2008 Salisbury Bill March 22 2006 Central Corridor light rail wins key OK St Paul Pioneer Press Retrieved April 5 2006 Salisbury Bill Dave Orrick April 9 2008 Central Corridor dead or alive St Paul Pioneer Press Scheck Tom May 18 2008 Deal reached at Capitol with little time to spare Minnesota Public Radio Central Corridor Project Record of Decision Metropolitan Council August 19 2009 Archived from the original on April 30 2010 Retrieved August 20 2009 Heavy construction wrapping up on Central Corridor light rail project Progressive Railroading November 3 2011 Archived from the original on May 9 2012 Retrieved November 5 2011 Met Council approves line color names for region s developing transitway system Metropolitan Council July 2011 Archived from the original on August 7 2011 Retrieved August 31 2011 a b Foti Jim February 25 2008 Central Corridor Cost concerns put Plan B in driver s seat Minneapolis Star Tribune Archived from the original on February 28 2008 Retrieved August 27 2008 Meeting of the Central Corridor Management Committee February 27 2008 PDF Central Corridor Management Committee February 27 2008 Archived from the original PDF on June 16 2010 Retrieved August 20 2009 FY 2009 New Starts and Small Starts Evaluation and Rating Process Federal Transit Administration 2009 Archived from the original on January 19 2010 Retrieved August 20 2009 METRO Green Line Metro Transit Metro Transit Retrieved August 14 2022 Havens Chris July 29 2008 Giving up parking spots on University but for what Minneapolis Star Tribune Retrieved August 27 2008 Yuen Laura August 11 2008 University Avenue business owners step up opposition to LRT Minnesota Public Radio Retrieved August 27 2008 Slavik Rachel March 31 2011 Porky s in St Paul To Close Doors Sunday CBS Minnesota Retrieved January 25 2012 Yuen Laura April 9 2006 Rondo haunting light rail debate St Paul Pioneer Press Retrieved April 9 2006 Foti Jim May 28 2008 Volume rises as U Met Council debate Central Corridor route Minneapolis Star Tribune Archived from the original on June 7 2011 Retrieved August 27 2008 Travel Demand Methodology amp Forecast Metropolitan Council February 2016 Retrieved December 5 2018 Local Bus Route 16 schedule PDF Metro Transit Retrieved March 23 2015 permanent dead link a b Central Corridor Transit Service Study Existing Conditions Report PDF Metro Transit 2012 p 52 Retrieved March 30 2012 Metro Transit Online Schedules Route 94 www metrotransit org Retrieved May 17 2017 New light rail vehicles begin service Metro Transit February 20 2013 Archived from the original on March 25 2015 Retrieved August 14 2022 Transportation Committee Business Item 2010 275 PDF Metropolitan Council July 30 2010 Retrieved August 6 2010 Kevin Giles August 25 2010 Central Corridor contracts awarded Star Tribune Archived from the original on August 29 2010 Retrieved August 28 2010 First Central Corridor light rail vehicle rebranded Hiawatha LRV meet the press PDF Metro Council October 10 2012 Retrieved October 21 2012 permanent dead link Blume Paul New Green Line endures 4th crash before opening day Archived June 11 2014 at the Wayback Machine KMSP Fox 9 June 9 2014 Nelson Tim September 2 2014 Authorities ID woman killed by Green Line train www mprnews org Retrieved February 24 2016 Lindberg Joseph and Emily Gurnon Woman killed by Green Line train was a former attorney Pioneer Press September 3 2014 Woltman Nick April 30 2015 Pedestrian killed in Green Line accident was very safety conscious TwinCities com Retrieved May 7 2015 Collins Jon December 11 2015 Blue Line train hits kills bicyclist in Minneapolis www mprnews org Retrieved February 24 2016 Dancer killed in light rail crash train operator on leave www kare11 com Retrieved July 20 2017 New Minnesota law closes prosecution loophole in LRT crashes Star Tribune Retrieved April 20 2019 Pedestrian killed in Green Line crash Sunday afternoon Star Tribune Retrieved January 28 2018 Metro Transit Man Dies After Being Struck by Green Line Train KSTP Retrieved October 9 2018 Man killed by light rail train in Minneapolis KSTP April 20 2019 Retrieved April 20 2019 Woman hit and killed by Green Line train in St Paul Bring Me The News August 31 2019 One killed one critically hurt when Green Line train hits vehicle Star Tribune Retrieved July 5 2021 Bicyclist dies after being struck by Green Line train kare11 com June 8 2022 Retrieved June 8 2022 Scott Dylan November 18 2021 Improving public transit makes it easier for people to stay healthy Vox Retrieved December 22 2021 External links editKML file edit help Template Attached KML Metro Green Line Minnesota KML is from Wikidata nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to METRO Green Line Official Metro Transit site Metro Council Central Corridor Site Businesses on the Green Line Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Metro Green Line Minnesota amp oldid 1204667943, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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